Chapter 132: Chapter 126: Support from the Beast Emperor
Inside the Beastman Camp.
General Dor was not in a good mood.
Previously, Dor had held the upper hand in his rivalry with Prince Kase. He had even managed to break away from the Prince’s army to lead his own troops, marching to the eastern side of the battlefield.
But to Dor’s great surprise, the moment he left Kase’s side, the man started racking up one victory after another.
Not long ago, he’d breached Airelle Port. Word was that the army had even surrounded the Human Race’s Prince! And now, they were advancing in great strides toward Devil City.
’Devil City! If he takes that place, there’s no doubt the greatest glory will be his.’
In truth, Dor hadn’t thought it through. The main theater of the entire Western Front was O’Neil Fortress.
Although Dor had broken away from Kase’s army and was no longer under his command, he had, in reality, also left the place where the greatest military honors could be won.
’If I were still by Prince Kase’s side, I, General Dor, would have certainly gotten a piece of this glory.’
Unfortunately, even though Dor had since come to understand all this, it was now far too late.
Even if he understood now, the opportunity had long since passed. In his struggle with Kase, Dor had seemed to have the upper hand, but Kase was the actual Commander-in-Chief.
Kase could afford to make countless mistakes. Dor only needed to make one, and the prestige he had built in the army would completely collapse.
But even so, Dor was still seething with resentment.
’For so many days, I’ve been steadily chipping away at Kase’s power. How could I lose everything overnight?’
This was why Dor had made no move for so many days.
He couldn’t accept it.
"General... are you really not going to look at it?" his guard, Eric, asked from his side.
Now that Prince Kase had restored his standing with the victory at Airelle Port, Eric no longer dared to cause trouble right under the Prince’s nose.
He had pulled back some time ago, which was why Valentino had the leisure to check on Robson’s condition.
"No... I’ll wait. Let’s see what news comes from the clan." Dor wanted to sound firm, but the sight of the wolf totem on the letter made his heart tremble, and his voice faltered slightly.
The Frost Wolf tribe—the one from which the Beastman Imperial Family originated, the very source of the Beastman Empire.
It represented the one who controlled the entire Beastman Grassland: Beast Emperor Kemal, the King of the Grasslands.
The previous night, a Red Dragon Knight riding a red Flying Dragon and bearing a Frost Wolf totem tattoo had arrived at Dor’s camp to deliver this very letter.
’A Red Dragon Knight! Those are the Beast Emperor’s Personal Guard, stationed at Madar Palace and the Beast God Wilds!’
Though they didn’t ride true red dragons, their mounts were avians with Dragon Blood! They were one of the most elite aerial cavalry units on the continent.
Even Algeria’s Royal Eagle Cavalry wouldn’t claim they could achieve a two-for-one exchange rate against the Red Dragon Cavalry. Of course, the Human Race didn’t rely on aerial cavalry to dominate the continent anyway.
Of course, within the Beastman Empire, the political significance of the Red Dragon Cavalry far outweighed its economic significance.
They were the Beast Emperor’s Personal Guard! Their arrival in the provinces was as good as representing the Emperor’s authority itself.
The Red Dragon Knight had said nothing, merely leaving behind a letter. To buy time, Dor had feigned an injury from the battlefield, while in reality, he was waiting for news from his clan.
"General! General! There’s Griffin Cavalry outside!"
Speak of the devil. Griffin Cavalry! Any Griffin Cavalry that made it this far couldn’t possibly belong to the Human Race.
After all, the art of raising Griffin Cavalry originated with the Gray Dwarves; the Gray Dwarves Race had always controlled the secret art of taming them.
"Quick! With me... no, never mind. Eric, you go out. Just say I’m ill. Bring their message back to me." Dor was anxious. He’d been about to rush out and greet them himself, but then he remembered the lie he’d spread earlier.
"Yes, My Lord." Eric accepted the order and left.
General Dor paced back and forth inside his tent, wondering what news his clan would send.
’The Beast Emperor... he’s terrifying, yes, but at the same time, not so much. As long as the clan is backing me, I’m not afraid to defy his orders.’
What Dor feared most right now was the Beast Emperor ordering him to act as support for Prince Kase. If that happened, Dor would truly start to panic.
After offending Kase so grievously, if Kase managed to claim the glory from this campaign, his ascension to the throne was practically a foregone conclusion. After all, the battle records of the other princes—the ones who charged alongside the Beast Emperor himself on the central front—were nothing to look at.
’Fine, I might as well read it.’
Now that word from his clan was on its way, Dor felt considerably more at ease. He picked up the letter he had been ignoring.
He tore it open. The more he read, the darker his expression grew.
Just as he’d feared. The Beast Emperor wanted him to support Prince Kase, to launch an immediate attack to tie down enemy forces.
According to Dor’s intelligence, the human garrison in Sirich City had yet to withdraw. Furthermore, after Prince Kase’s reputation recovered, many of the smaller tribes that had originally sided with Dor had switched their allegiance back to the Prince. It was a harsh lesson in the nature of fair-weather allies.
Before long, Eric returned to the tent.
"Well? What did the clan say?" Dor asked, stepping forward immediately.
Eric’s expression was strange as he produced a letter.
"According to the knight’s verbal message, the clan wants us to launch an attack as soon as possible.
"But," Eric continued, "he also said that while attacking, we are to preserve our main forces and protect our elites at all costs."
